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Jens Woelk Named Legal Expert to the HJPC in Sarajevo

Vice head of the Institute of Comparative Federalism, Jens Woelk, has been selected as Senior International Legal Expert to the High Judiciary and Prosecutorial Court (HJPC) in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Woelk takes up his duties this month, and will remain in the position for two years. The HJPC is the independent body of judicial self-government in BiH that contributes to strengthening and maintaining independence, accountability, efficiency, professionalism and consistency of the country’s complex justice system. In fact, the country’s unique federal structure is reflected in its judiciary, which is decentralised and consists of four different judicial systems without a Supreme Court. The HJPC is responsible for their coordination, for the appointment and promotion of judges and prosecutors, as well as for conducting disciplinary proceedings and initiating judicial reforms.Among his many tasks with the organisation, and in close contact with the European Commission, Woelk will provide strategic and technical advice with regards to the EU integration process of Bosnia and Herzegovina in area of the rule of law, including alignment with EU standards and best practices in EU Member States. Associate Professor of Comparative Constitutional Law at the Faculty of Law and the School of International Studies at the University of Trento, and vice head at the Institute for Comparative Federalism at Eurac Research, Woelk’s research focuses on issues of federalism and regionalism as well as on minority protection and the processes of constitutional transition in South-Eastern Europe. His excellent knowledge of the constitutional framework and judicial context of BiH has been fostered by his work with Technical Assistance and Information Exchange (TAIEX) of the European Commission, with whom he has been working in the areas of Rule of Law and Peer Review of Judiciary in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia. “The challenge of my new task will be a change of perspective from academic analysis to operational practice,” says Woelk, “contributing to the evolution of Bosnia’s complex federal system, and preparing it for future accession to the EU. This promises valuable insights which may prove useful for future research and projects on federal systems in transformation processes.”